


Homecoming

by CaptainLyssa



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Adoption, F/M, Family Drama, Post-Episode: s09e19-20 The Truth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26389252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainLyssa/pseuds/CaptainLyssa
Summary: A depressed Maggie Scully gets a surprise package and needs her daughter to come home.  Scully is forced to make a choice between the two most important men in her life.  How is a mother to choose when she’s on the run?  Set days after The Truth. Written 2011 prior to IWTB being made.
Relationships: Dana Scully/Margaret Scully, Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: CC, Ten Thirteen and Fox own the characters. The story comes from my imagination.

An unexpected knock sounded on the front door. Margaret Scully slowly rose from the kitchen table leaving behind her cold coffee. Uninterested, she ambled into the hall, having ignored the bell in the hope whoever intruded might get the message and leave her alone. Glancing through the peephole, a young woman stood on the other side. Dressed in professional attire, she anxiously looked between her expensive watch and the cherry red Taurus parked in the driveway.

Just as the woman reached up to knock once again, Margaret opened the door with a dower, more than a little depressed, “may I help you?”

“I’m looking for Dana Scully,” wide brown eyes searched the miserable woman before her, “I went to Dr. Scully’s apartment but the superintendent told me she no longer lived there. He gave me your address.”

“My daughter is currently indisposed,” Maggie offered reluctantly, emotionlessness colouring her voice.

“Mrs Scully,” unsure how to proceed, as this case had been strange from the start, the young woman finally took a deep, steading breath before holding out her hand. “I’m Jana O’Connell, from the Department of Children’s Services.”

Finally, hope entered Margaret Scully’s heart and a spark attempted to lighten her eyes. “William?” Maggie asked, her voice cracking. Craning her neck, Margaret spied her grandson in the back of the car. Heart rate increasing and hope burgeoning, she demanded, “Why do you have William?” Each word awakening the emotions lost because of the child’s adoption.

“William’s adoptive parents have chosen to return the child to his birth mother,” Jana told the confused woman before her, attempting to hide her own bewilderment at this strange and usual situation. “Apparently they become suspicious that Ms Scully didn’t divulge the entire truth behind her reasons for giving up her son. They have taken advantage of the twenty-eight-day cooling off period and returned William into our care this morning. If I can’t find either your daughter, or,” looking down at the paperwork in her hand, Jana lifted chocolate eyes to meet Maggie’s, “Fox Mulder, I’ll be forced to place William in a foster home until appropriate arrangement can be made. With a child this young, I’d rather have him back with his mother,” hesitating before continuing in a hopeful voice, one that might obtain the answer she short, “or father, given the circumstances and the losses he’s suffered in his short life. It would be better for William to be with familiar people after the event.”

“Please, go and get William from the car,” glancing at the clock on the wall above the fireplace, Maggie touched Jana on the arm, “it’s his usual sleep time. I still have his room ready upstairs.”

Slightly shocked by this announcement, Jana examined the older woman’s intent. For what ever reason, this Grandmother had never wanted her daughter to give up the right to her grandson. Maggie, unable to wait, took Jana’s arm and marched her to the car. Opening the rear door, Maggie just looked on the cherubic face, one she never thought she’d see again.

“William,” Maggie reached into the car with great care. Removing the baby harness gently, she picked the child up. Reverently, as though through a miracle, Margaret cradled the child in her arms. He snuggled into the familiar warmth making a happy gurgling sound. Commencing the walk back to the house, she had no intention of giving her flesh and blood up again. “I cared for my grandson while Dana worked,” she stated, taking the bewildered social worker deep into her home. Opening a door into the nursery, Maggie settled William into his crib.

“You never gave up hope,” the inane statement cascaded from Jana lips. “Mrs Scully, may I ask, did someone force your daughter to give up her son?”

“Yes,” tormented, the word fell from Maggie’s lips. “I’ve never seen my daughter happier. A child and her partner were all she ever wanted, but…”

“But,” Jana asked, more than a little confused.

“I have to make a phone call,” Maggie stated turning on the baby monitor, ushering the social worker from the room.

“To your daughter?” Jana hoped this would end happily. Even if it didn’t she’d seen enough to start preparations for Mrs Scully to gain temporary custody of her grandson.

Maggie didn’t say a word as she returned to the kitchen. Scooping the half full cup off the table, she started to tidy up. Until this very minute, the task seemed beyond her limited energy and emotions. Putting the kettle on to boil, she took two cups out of an overhead cupboard. “Tea or coffee?” she enquired.

“Let me do that,” Jana spoke softly, encouraging, “go and make your phone call.” Waiting for the older woman to leave, Jana opened her cell and began planning to leave William with his grandmother until this situation could be sorted out.

Maggie entered the den and sat down heavily at her husband’s old desk. Taking out a scrap of paper, she dialled the number Dana gave her only for the direst of emergencies. Waiting for the receiver to be picked up seemed to take an eternity. Finally, the ringing stopped.

“Skinner,” barked the owner of the harsh voice.

“Walter,” finally the tears began to cascade down Margaret Scully’s face, “you need to tell my daughter to come home.”

“Mrs Scully,” Skinner sighed with weary resignation, “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Tell Dana she needs to make a choice,” steely determination infused the grandmother’s voice. “She needs to know, what she’d been forced to give up has now been returned.”

Stunned, Skinner asked, “do you have it with you now?”

“Yes,” Maggie answered, “but I don’t know how long I can keep this little miracle without her.”

“I understand,” once again sighing, Skinner promised, “I’ll be in touch as soon as I have any information for you.”

“Thank you,” Maggie replied. Taking several minutes to calm down, she considered the ramifications of this. When she felt ready, Margaret Scully returned to the kitchen and the social worker with a smile on her face. The resolution in her eyes bespoke her determination to keep her grandchild at any cost.


	2. Chapter 2

They’d been on the run for three days. So much had occurred in those three days. They’d made it to New Mexico at Mulder’s insistence when they should have gone to Canada. They’d faced Cancer Man and been chased by black hawks, proving the shadow government knew Mulder’s intended movements better than he expected. After all the excitement, finally they’d escaped to a life on the run.

Now, here they were. Wrapped in each other’s arms in some run-down motel, in some godforsaken town, far from a major interstate. This would be their life now. Everything, everyone they knew, beyond reach and them beyond amendment.

“You can still go home, Scully,” Mulder muttered, unconsciously mirroring his lover’s thoughts. “It’s not too late for you to change your mind. They have nothing on you, not even my escape. You could settle down in some town, far away from the FBI, the conspiracies and the darkness. Have a normal life as a doctor, relationships, friends, even visit with your family.”

“Mulder,” Scully sighed, snuggling closer, “I told you last night, I wouldn’t change anything we’ve been through.”

“I have the death penalty hanging over my head. If you’re caught with me, you’ll be an accessory. As it stands now,” he stated, allowing his thoughts to fade before he said something he’d regret.

“What’s left of my old life, Mulder,” Scully spoke quietly, her words infused with steel. Moving out of his embrace, she turned, propping her head on an arm to watch his emotions play across his mobile face. “I have you back. I don’t want to let go of that. After yesterday, if we lay low for a few weeks or months, they might just think we died in the explosion.”

“You really believe that?” Mulder had to ask, a little hope infusing his expression.

“No,” Scully sighed wistfully, “but your case wouldn’t stand up in a court of law. The exposure wouldn’t be worth the effort. Discrediting you this way, they’ve achieved what they want. Neither of us will ever be able to work for the government again. All avenues to the truth have been taken from us. I truly believe, if we keep our heads down for a while, we’ll be able to go back to some form of normal life, if we do it quietly and stay out of trouble.”

“You mean, if I stop trying to chasing monsters with butterfly nets,” the sarcasm in Mulder’s voice aimed internally.

They lay quietly together, each searching the others gaze, communicating without the need for words. Through the thin curtains, almost covering the large window facing into the motel’s parking lot, the dawn of a new day peeked in on them. Yet, Scully could hear Mulder’s mind whirling at a million miles an hour.

“Mulder,” she cautioned, realising he held something back.

“I couldn’t sleep last night, Scully,” he admitted, unable to meet her eyes “so I went to check the e-mail account we set up for emergency communications.”

Instantly alert, Scully’s eyebrow rose in askance. Handing her a print out, Mulder moved to sit against the head of the bed. It took fifteen seconds for Scully’s hand to cover her mouth, another ten seconds for her clear blue eyes to cloud with tears and three more to turn her startled orbs on Mulder.

“You want me to make a choice,” she managed to stutter, incredulity shining through the fat salty tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I can’t tell you what to do, Scully,” Mulder told her mournfully, reaching out a hand and gently stroking the side of her face. “I never could. But, I believe you’ll want to go home.”

“Mulder,” the word came out as a long keening sob.

Reaching for her, Mulder wrapt his arms around Scully and dragged her to him. “I want you to have a normal life with William. I want you to be happy, fulfilled.”

“I’ve had to give both of you up at least once. Please, don’t ask me to do it again. I don’t think I’m strong enough,” Scully howled, her voice shattered by heart wrenching sobs of utter despair. After several minutes, she’d regained enough control to continue. “I am not going to give you up, Mulder, not when I’ve just got you back. But, I want my son.” Once again, desolate weeping of a soul broken in two, overtook Scully. The emotional barriers she maintained so rigorously crashed down, leaving her open to a thousand wounds. “Oh god, Mulder,” she wailed, broken by this new situation, “I want my baby back in my arms. I want our William.”

“I can’t think of a way for you to have both of us,” Mulder spoke just above a whisper.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun shone brightly, so bright Mulder and Scully wore sunglasses to protect their eyes. It suited them down to the ground. Tired, stressed and swollen eyes hid behind the dark shades. After lying together for an hour, which seemed to be days, they broke from depression to make plans. Finally, emerging from their motel room, Scully placed their merger belonging on the back seat. Mulder checked out, came to sit behind the steering wheel and pulled the large, non-descript vehicle out of the parking lot. He directed the car out of town. They planed be on the I-40 in two hours. Stoping somewhere along the way to let Mrs Scully know Dana intended coming home. They also needed to pick up supplies for their journey.

“Mulder,” Scully asked hesitantly after they’d been driving for half an hour, “are you sure about this?”

“No,” he answered his attention focused on the road, “but what choice do we have. We’re in this together, Scully.”

“I need to go through our plans again,’ she pleaded, still not entirely comfortable with the decisions they’d made so hastily. Everything had occurred so quickly. They hadn’t been given the time to consider options, to plan for what lay ahead, make alternatives just in case the worse should happen.

“After you call your mom from a public phone box, we’ll head straight for Virginia. We’ll take shifts driving, four hours each, no exceptions. It’s going to take about a day and a half to get there with limited breaks,” stopping the words from spilling out, Mulder glance at his pale companion.

These events had shaken Scully to the bone. Three weeks ago, she had been an FBI agent, going home to her son, to their son each night. Then William’s life had been placed in danger once again because of his parentage. Scully made the most horrendous, heart wrenching decision of her life. She’d given their son up for adoption to keep him safe. Something Mulder had yet to come to terms with. Suddenly he needed to talk to Scully about it, about William.

“Scully,” he hedged, unsure how to articulate his thoughts, “Dana, I need to talk about our son. I need you to tell me what he’s like. I had so little time with the both of you before I left.”

“When did you get to the Mount Weather Complex,” Scully returned, a sudden dread entering the region around her heart. Comprehending the reason behind her question, Mulder refused to answer. “How long did they hold you in that prison before we knew?”

“Scully, please,” Mulder moaned, realizing the answer would only crush them further, “you don’t want to know.”

“I have to know,” she cried, just when she thought she didn’t have the capacity to extrude more tears, her ducts produced more fat, salty drops. “I need to know, Mulder. Before or after I gave William up.”

“Eight days before,” the statement sounded as lifeless as the expression covering Mulder’s face. Finally, Scully had made the connection he’d been keeping from her. “I spent three weeks in that hell hole before they let me see you, before my trial.”

“Did,” swallowing convulsively, Scully forced the words past her dry, parched lips, “do you think they sent Spender deliberately? That they injected the magnetite because they finally had you.”

“I don’t know,” Mulder whispered, “I guess we’ll never know.”

“Oh god, Mulder,” Scully turned to the window, staring out with glazed, unseeing eyes. “I didn’t think I could feel any worse than the day I gave up my son. Then this morning, when you handed me that e-mail from Skinner, I thought my world ended once more. How could I choose between you and William? A mother shouldn’t have to make that kind of decision. I’ve been through so much darkness that I feel black inside. So black I don’t think anything can clean it way.”

“Scully,” he made her name a low keening sound, expressing his feelings of desolation and loss.

“You were within my reach but I didn’t know it,” Scully continued, so wrapt in her misery she couldn’t acknowledge Mulder’s emotional pain. “I think that’s the worst tragedy of all, that I might have spared my son this.”

“Our son, Scully,” anger suddenly laced his words at her continued use to the pronoun, “William is my son too.”

Stunned by the outburst, Scully finally turned her gaze on the man beside her. Instantly her tears dried and his anger soothed her like a pancrea. “It’s hard to remember that sometimes, Mulder,” she spoke softly, as though calming a madman. Careful to keep the animosity from her tone, Scully continued, “you weren’t there. I wanted you to be there. I prayed every night for you to come home, to us. I wanted our son to know his father.”

“Those first two days, Scully,” catching the sob in his throat before it escaped, Mulder forced the words passed the lump taking up residence within his vocal cords, “I wanted them to go on forever. You and William were all I thought about, the only memories that got me through the conditioning sessions, the only reason to keep my sanity. I barely got time to become a father before I left. On my return, I find my son gone and my lover inconsolable at the loss.”

“Mulder,” Scully reached out a hand, laying it on his forearm in unspoken comfort. “We’ve both lost so much.”

“Please, just give me some time. Tell me about my son,” taking his eyes from the road, Mulder pleaded. “Give me fond memories to take away the pain of abandoning you both for all those months.”

So, Scully spoke about every memory she could recall, starting the moment Mulder had walked out the door of her apartment. For a while, they both managed to forget the long journey ahead. They could put aside the reality of raising a child while on the run from the law. They could even pretend this might end happily.


	4. Chapter 4

“Ready,” Mulder asked as they approached a small town at the junction of the I-27 and I-40.

Nodding, Scully waited until the car stopped before climbing out. Ignoring Mulder filling the car with gas, she made her way to the pay phone between the station and highway. Taking change from her pocket, Scully used a handkerchief to wipe away her prints before depositing the coins into the machine. She’d have exactly two minutes and forty five second to talk to her mother before a trace could be activated and successfully determine her location.

Fingers trembling, Scully once again used the kerchief to press the well known numbers. The phone rang thee times before being picked up with, “Dana, is that you?”

“Yes, Mom,” she stated, forcing her mental barriers to maintain her emotional detachment. “I’m coming home. I can’t be there until tomorrow evening at the earliest. I call again when I’m closer.”

Maggie attempted to stop the dialogue, but her daughter cut her off unmercifully, “I don’t have much time, Mom. I promise we’ll talk when I make it to Annapolis. I need to know if you have him, if they let you keep him?”

“Yes, I have temporary custody,” Maggie replied, obviously stunned by the lack of feeling in Dana’s tone.

“How long has he been with you,” Scully forced the question past the lump in her throat holding back the elated sobs.

“Since about ten yesterday morning,” Maggie confessed, “I tried to contact you immediately.”

“You’re both safe, protected,” Scully asked, finally a crack appearing in her façade.

“Yes, Dana,” Maggie sighed, “it’s all been arranged. Your friends…”

“Good, Mom, I’m glad someone’s looking out for you both,” a hiccup escaped Scully tight control. “Is there anything I need to do, anything they want, for me to get him back?”

“Now’s not the time, Dana,” Maggie warned. “The social worker will be calling me later to day. I’ll let her know you’ll be here soon. We’ll talk about it when you get home.”

“Mom, I need to know,” hesitating because she really didn’t have the time for this, “why did they give him back.”

“They believed you didn’t tell the truth about your reasons for giving him up,” Maggie confessed. “Dana, she asked me if you were forced to give him up. I told her yes. She knows Fox is on the FBI’s wanted list.”

“Did she say if someone tried to hurt him,” the tears Scully had valiantly held back now cascaded down her face.

“No,” Maggie replied in a saddened tone, “but I think the bruises on his back and bottom tell their own story.”

“Oh, God, Mom,” unable to keep her emotions behind the dam she managed to patch up this morning, Scully literally dissolved. “I only gave him up to be safe because I couldn’t promise him that.

“Dana,” Maggie held in her feelings in the attempt to send her message, “a mother would do anything to keep her child safe. He always stood a better chance with you.”

“I know that now, Mom,” she returned, “I have to go. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“God’s speed Dana,” Maggie hung up the receiver. Listening intently to the baby monitor, she could hear the gentle snores of her grandson which meant he slept soundly in his crib. Picking up the phone, Margaret Scully dialled the same number she had almost twenty-four hours earlier. “You need to make arrangements, their coming home.”

“You’re sure,” Skinner questioned.

“I know my daughter. She’s not about to give up everything she’s gained,” Maggie answered with determination. “She’ll be here tomorrow evening.”

“I’ll get the wheels in motion,” with that Skinner rang off. Taking the file from its hiding place inside a false bottom draw, he opened it to a photo of a nondescript farm house on ten acres of land.

Skinner pushed the button on his intercom, “Kimberley, cancel my appointment for the rest of the day. Something’s come up. I’ll be out of the office until Monday.” Taking his coat from the tree beside the door, Walter Skinner exited his office using the door directly into the hallway.

Reaching the elevator, Skinner didn’t get the opportunity to push the button when Director Whitehouse called his name. Retracing his steps, Skinner joined his ultimate superior. Ushering him into his office, a wave of fear washed over the Assistant Director.

“I’ve been reviewing the Mulder case,” Whitehouse stated after they sat. “I hoped you could tell me why the FBI became involved?”

“Mulder once worked for the FBI,” Skinner replied, keeping his expression rigidly neutral.

“I’m aware of that,” Whitehouse made an impatient noise. “What I want to know is why Deputy Director Kersh became involved when Mulder broke into a military instillation and killed a soldier in front of thirty witnesses.”

“I believe the military approached Kersh to aid with the situation,” Skinner offered without commitment.

“I find the entire matter strange in the extreme,” The Director turned his gaze towards his colleague. “As a civilian, this matter should have been directed towards the civil justice system.”

“I believe you are correct, Sir,” Skinner agreed.

“Now we have a situation,” watching the younger man before him, Whitehouse observed the surprise on his face with his next statement. “Kersh committed suicide, leaving behind a letter indicating his complicity in a plot to have Mulder discredited.”

“Sir,” Skinner’s brow furrowed.

“I’ve removed Mulder’s name from the FBI wanted list this morning, after discovering as a very live Noel Rohr has been sighted at the Mount Weather Facility,” The Director stated. “You might find a way to get this information to Mulder.”

“I’ll see what I can arrange,” Skinner offered.

“You may also tell Agent Scully her employment with the bureau is terminated effective immediately, without the chance of reinstatement. The FBI can not condone her actions even if her partner is innocent of the charges,” Whitehouse warned. “Neither Mulder or Scully will be able to gain government positions in the future. They should be very circumspect if they wish to lives normal lives. I believe Dr Scully’s qualifications will be well received by any institution wishing to gain them.”


	5. Chapter 5

Scully pulled her attention back from the phone. Hanging up the receiver, she walked in a daze to the car. Climbing into the passenger seat she considered her mothers words. _How am I to protect William when I’m not sure I can protect myself or Mulder_?

Mulder exited the small convenience store, his arms full of the supplies they’d need to finish their journey. He felt the atmosphere the moment he opened the door. Carefully placing his purchases on the back seat, he slid behind the wheel.

“What happened,” he asked carefully.

“They couldn’t keep him safe, so they gave him back,” Scully’s voice so low, Mulder almost missed the words.

Nodding, Mulder promised their son would never again know fear or hurt. He’d make sure of it once they got him back. Reaching over to Scully, he placed a comforting hand on her knee and squeezed. Returning his attention to the long journey ahead, he turned the key in the ignition and moved the car back onto the highway.

“Scully,” Mulder momentarily took his eyes from the road and a sunflower seed husk from between his teeth, “you’ll leave me at the house in Virginia and drive on to your mothers. Once you have William,” Mulder stopped as a wave of guilt threatened to choke him, “and you think it’s safe, we’ll meet at the house outside Coatesville.”

“You’re sure they don’t know about it,” Scully asked.

“I’m not sure about anything anymore, Scully,” he bit back, instantly sorry. “I covered my tracks as well as I could when I brought the house ten years ago. I had The Lone Gunmen hide any details of the purchase under several layers of bureaucracy. But, anyone really wanting to dig far enough will know I own it.”

Confused by this new information, Scully found herself asking, “why did you buy it?”

“Do you remember, we were on a case in Home, Philadelphia,” he started.

“The Peacock case,” Scully interrupted, knowing the exact moment he spoke of.

“I told you I lived in the city because my work demanded it, but, I really wanted to settle in a small country town,” Mulder concluded.

“You brought the farm for your retirement,” she asked, stunned by his confession.

“Or, somewhere to hide, if it ever became necessary,” that brought a small smile to both their lips. “I didn’t have a partner on the X files then. I didn’t trust anyone. I need an escape route if all else failed.”

“Like now,” Scully added sorrowfully, grateful for his foresight.

“Yes,” Mulder agreed despondently, “like now.”

“We’ll make it Mulder,” Scully attempted to comfort both of them with optimism. “In time the FBI will forget about us. We just need to keep our heads down and you out of sight.”

“What about you, Scully, what are you going to do?” he asked earnestly. The boredom would drive him nuts within weeks. Without working, it would be so much worse for Scully’s active mind.

“We’ll need an income,” always the practical one, Scully considered their options past getting their son back. “Richmond’s not that far from your house. Maybe, I could get a position at one of the big hospitals.”

“Our house, Scully. Our home,” Mulder corrected. He wanted to start this new chapter of their relationship as he meant to go on. “You might be less conspicuous at one of the smaller facilities.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” her tone finished the conversation for the moment as her mind began to find a glimmer of light at the end of a very dark tunnel. “Between us we have enough cash to survive for months if we’re careful.”

Nodding sagely, Mulder let Scully take her time to logically rationalise all that had happened to them over the last few weeks. Soon they’d have new challenges to face. While he assessed and derived answers immediately, Scully need time to come to terms with fluid situations. They both had a very long drive before them, more than enough time for Scully to contemplate their changing situation and for them to talk about the future.


	6. Chapter 6

“You have company?” Walter Skinner asked the minute Maggie Scully open the door to him. He hadn’t missed the cherry red Taurus in the drive.

“Yes,” she answered confused, “the social worker, Jana O’Connell is here. She came to follow up on William and Dana.”

“Good,” Skinner brushed past the astounded woman stopping just inside the entry. “I’ve got news for both of you which will help your daughter and her partner’s case.”

“Follow me,” Maggie looked more concerned than hopeful at this information.

Silently she led the Assistant Director into her kitchen and introduced her visitors. Allowing them time to meet each other, Maggie busied her hands. Taking another cup from the stand, she poured Walter a coffee. The milk and sugar, already on the table, allowed him to fix his drink way he liked. Nervously she sat between the two, fingering her full cup, unsure how to start any real conversation. Jana had only arrived minutes before Walter. So far, Maggie Scully and the social worker hadn’t exchanged more than pleasantries.

“Why are you here, Mr Skinner,” Jana asked, surprised and intrigued by the sudden appearance of a third person.

Maggie and Skinner traded glances. Taking the lead, Skinner replied, “I’ve come to inform Mrs Scully, and you, in an official capacity, that Fox Mulder is no longer a wanted man. All charges have been dropped. However, neither Fox Mulder nor Dana Scully will be able to find government employment, nor will they receive benefits from their time with the FBI.”

“So,” Jana processed the information, “William’s patents are homeless and jobless. Is that what you attempting to tell me Mr Skinner?”

“At the moment, you’re effectively correct,” he answered, staring the woman down with his intense gaze. “However, Dana is still a medical doctor capable of gaining employment where ever she choses. The FBI is willing to give her references to ensure she has every opportunity to successfully obtain any position in the public sector.” Skinner reached into his brief case and took out the photograph he’d kept hidden since Mulder faked his death in the days before Scully almost died of cancer. “Mulder owns a home in Virginia. I believe they are currently attempting to reach it. Both of my former agents, due to their work, knew their lives could be in danger. It is one of the reasons Mulder left his new baby and partner and the sole reason Scully gave William up for adoption.”

“Are you telling me,” Jana wanted to make sure she understood this conversation, “due to their civilian status, William’s parents are no longer in danger, and therefore William will be safe if he is returned to them.”

“Before I answer that question, I need to know about the adoptive parent’s reasons for returning him,” once again Skinner piercing gaze turned on the social worker. However, she’d dealt with difficult situations before and didn’t cower before the obviously powerful man.

This forced Maggie to break into the conversation with, “William is covered in burses on his back and bottom. I’d like to know how he received them. Dana would be horrified to think any harm as come to her son when she gave him up in order to protect him.”

Sighing, Jana knew she could no longer withhold the reason for this child’s return. “William refused to bond with his adoptive parents. We helped them to transition the child, but every time they spoke to him he screamed. Each time they attempted to pick him up, offer comfort, he fought their attempts, wriggling out of their embrace. The psychologist believed he needed time. After three weeks, the mother could no longer cope.”

“She hit him?” Maggie asked gasping, her hand covering her mouth to stop her emotions getting the better of her.

“No,” Jana hid her face under her long hair allowing her time to gain her composure. “This is the worst case of separation anxiety I’ve ever seen. In desperation, the family went to the local grocery store. Apparently, William enjoyed the activity, it calmed him. Only this day, he attached himself to a woman matching the description of his biological Mother. He refused to let go of the woman. The burses were caused when his adoptive mother attempted to take him from the strangers’ arms. The stranger reported the incident to the police, thinking the kicking, screaming child had been kidnapped.”

“Oh, lord,” were the only words to exit Maggie’s mouth. Suddenly, she understood her grandson’s reactions. When awake, William wouldn’t leave her. He demanded to be picked up and cuddled almost every waking hour as though she’d abandon him if they lost contact for even a moment. Even in sleep, he cried out, waking with sobs until his grandmother’s voice and arms surrounded him. Every hour or so, big blue eyes turned on Maggie while his childish voice requested his Mama. When Maggie told him she’d soon be home from her trip, he settled, as he had done in the days prior to his adoption. In the days Dana had to spend time away from him while on a case.

“After a short discussion with the psychologist, the adoptive family decided to return William,” Jana finished. “I believe he is the type of child who bonded so well with his mother and you, that his physical and mental well being make it imperative to reunite him with his biological family.”

“If you have time,” Skinner’s expression didn’t soften with his words, “I’m heading down to Mulder’s house now.”

Shaking her head, “I don’t need to see it,” Jana informed them, “just knowing the family has a home is enough. However, there is still the question of income.”

“Mulder’s parents have both passed away, leaving him enough to live on comfortably, even if Dr Scully decides to be a full-time mother, for several years,” Skinner told the woman, producing yet more documents from his briefcase.

“Then all I need is a formal statement from Dana,” Jana turned her relieved eyes on Maggie, “stating she wishes to dissolve the adoption.”

“I hold enduring power of attorney for both Fox Mulder and Dana Scully,” Skinner returned, bring yet more documents from his never-ending source. “If you have the paperwork drawn up today, I can sign it on their behalf.”

Shaking her head in the negative, “this is once case where I need Dana’s signature. I also like to meet both Dana and Fox, to reassure myself this is what they both want. Then, I can file the paperwork. If it can be arranged, I’d like to see them reunited with their son at the house so I can conclude this case.”

“I’ll give you the address,” quickly jotting down the information, Skinner handed it to the woman, “I believe they’ll be arriving after lunch tomorrow.”

Nodding her understanding, Jana stood and thanked Maggie for her hospitality. “I’ll see you and William tomorrow. I’ll look forward to finally meeting his parents.” With that, Jana let herself out of the house.

“Mrs Scully,” Skinner started, only to be cut off.

“We have so much to do, Mr Skinner,” she stated, “that everything else can wait.”


	7. Chapter 7

“I don’t think anyone has been near this place in years,” Maggie stated, as she drove up the long, winding drive.

An air of abandonment surrounded the house. Paint pealed off the exterior walls. Once they might’ve been pallid yellow or deep cream. Shutters had disintegrated with time. Faded, flaking green window surrounds hinted at the original colour. The roof had seen better days, softening into a washed out green-grey.

Running a finger over the accumulated grime on the porch railing, Maggie began to understand the amount of work needed to bring this house back to its former glory. Their feet left prints in the dust gathering on the wooden steps and boards. Unable to wipe the dirt from their shoes, it added to the air of gloom inside the small farmhouse.

“I don’t think Mulder has done anything or been near it from the day he brought it,” Skinner commented, running a hand over non-existent hair in frustration. He wondered if his plan deserved further time and effort. “Maybe you should take William and return to your home.”

In answer, Maggie opened a curtain which disintegrated in her hand. Picking up a cover from the nearest chair, the motes danced in the sunlight before the material also turned to dust. Turning back to her companion, she stated emphatically, “I will not subject William to this.”

“There is a motel in the nearest town,” Skinner commented, no more pleased with his observations. Taking out his cell, he walked outside to make several calls. “Help is on the way,” he informed Mrs Scully at the end of the conversation.

“You’ll need a small army to put this place into any form of semblance before tomorrow afternoon,” she stated emphatically. The expression shining out of her brown orbs displayed her revulsion at the neglect. Yet, she knew it must be remedied if her grandson were to call this his home.

“Once the word gets out, that’s exactly what we’ll have,” he stated, continuing to himself, _let’s just hope it doesn’t attract the wrong kind of attention_.

An hour later the first of his retired marine buddies arrived with his spouse in an RV. Striped of his tie and jacket, Walter Skinner’s cuffs, rolled back to his elbows, displayed the work he’d achieved. Off to one side of the house, a small fire consumed most of the affected material objects and several pieces of furniture.

Maggie returned with cleaning supplies to find a hive of activity. The men decided to leave the outside for the new occupants to repair. They concentrated on removing the years of accumulated dirt and grime. The wives and partners placed their efforts in sustaining their men. Maggie’s arrival signalled a new phase as they drew rosters. Three women would stay in the RV to prepare food while the others commenced on the kitchen, bathroom and nursery. These rooms had been selected as the most important. The rest of the house could be put right at a more leisurely pace.

For his part, William seemed to know this would be his new home. He crawled in the dirt, never far from his Grandmother but exploring his new boundaries. Maggie felt helpless. These people she didn’t know had answered the call to help her daughter and Margaret Scully could do little to aid their efforts. As happy as he appeared to be outdoors, William wailed if he lost sight of the only familiar face. His separation anxiety knew no bounds.

“Ma, ma, ma, ma,” he called, pointing to yet another car pulling into the yard from the long drive.

“Your Mommy will be home tomorrow afternoon, William,” Maggie soothed.

She found it more difficult to keep the emotion from her voice. As the time drew near, Margaret Scully discovered her anger with her daughters’ actions increased. Anger at surrendering William to strangers, anger at abandoning her family, anger at her partner for allowing her to follow him god knew where and into what danger. Yet, Maggie knew Dana chose this path, believe it to be the best course of action at the time and understood her reasons. Still, the anger welled and built.

After four hours and almost three hundred miles, Scully forced Mulder to surrender the steering wheel. The switch occurred, their silence unbroken. Another half hour and forty miles down the road, Mulder finally spoke. 

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Scully?” he demanded, uncomfortable with the weight of the stifling atmosphere. For the first time, Mulder couldn’t sense the thoughts travelling along his partner’s neural pathways. Scully seem closed, aloof and untouchable.

“I never thought I’d be driving across country with you again,” the words came from nowhere. They surprised Scully with the amount of venom. After stewing on her feelings, anger lapped the other emotions competing in this race.

“Just like old times,” sarcasm laced Mulder’s voice. He’d seen the gradual build up in his partner’s body language, yet, felt powerless to do anything about it. Scully needed this, she needed to do this. They needed to clear the air. Only then could they start over in their new life.

“No, not like old times,” Scully bit back, the emotions she’d held back for so long finally discovering an out let past her shattered mental defences. “I followed you blindly for so long, Mulder. It stops now. It all stops now.”

“Pull over, Scully,” he demanded.

“No,” the anger in her voice couldn’t be mistaken, “four-hour stints, no exception until we reach our goal. That’s your rule, Mulder,”

“Not at the expense of getting us killed,” he backtracked softly, “before we see our son again.”

The wrong thing to say, he realised as Scully’s anger launch into the stratosphere. Pulling over, her cheeks becoming redder by the second, the engine barely stopped before she turned her rage on him. “Our son, Mulder,” it emerged as an accusation she felt powerless to stop. “Where were you when **_They_** attempted to kidnap him, or when Spender injected him or when I couldn’t protect him any longer and had to give him into the keeping of complete strangers. The child you knew I always wanted. The child you helped me conceive. The only person I felt I could trust abandoned me when the going got too rough.”

Amazed at the outburst, his own anger welling, Mulder knew she had to get this out. It didn’t make it any easier to sit and listen while letting her spew forth her feelings of outrage and abandonment. The mental effort to stop accusatory words leaving his lips almost beyond his capacity, yet, Mulder knew he **_had_** to find the strength not to retaliate. Their future depended on it.

The psychologist in him understood the woman at his side, grieved for her losses, what she felt went well beyond pain. This wasn’t personal. It wasn’t directed at him, not really. These were Scully deepest hurts and insecurities. Normally, she wouldn’t allow anyone to see her like this, not even him. So, Mulder forced himself to sit and listen, to hear her anguish, to understand it, without making it his. When the words eventually failed, he reached across, removed her seat belt and dragged her into his embrace.

“I’m sorry, Scully, I’m sorry,” he muttered into her hair, which only made her cry harder.


	8. Chapter 8

Once she stopped crying, Mulder left her on the passengers’ seat and buckled Scully in. Climbing behind the wheel, he placed another seed in his mouth before starting the engine. They still had about fourteen hundred miles to go and Scully needed to get back to their son as soon as possible. Once they hit the east coast states, their progress would slow considerably.

Emotionally exhausted, Scully slept for the next six hours as he relentlessly directed the car towards their goal. They’d crossed from the Central into Mountain Time zone by then and approached Eastern Standard. They travel further than he’d expected today, almost eight hundred miles to the border of Tennessee. Mulder’s eyes, weary from ten hours of constant driving, felt gritty and dry.

Glancing over at Scully, he wondered if she’d be ready to take over. One look at her pale cheeks and sunken eyes, Mulder knew they had to stop for the night. He changed their plans, making a mental note to call her mother soon. Pulling into a cheep motel in some nameless town, he raced into the reception. Mulder didn’t bother to wake her, just carried Scully into the room. After placing her on the bed, he returned to the car. They needed food, real food to sustain them for the remainder of the drive.

The smell of home cooked soup, fresh crusty bread and brewed coffee woke Scully.

“Where are we, Mulder,” she asked, still groggy. Waking slowly, Scully took in her surroundings. Yet, another cheep hotel, mirroring any of the hundreds they’d stayed in over the years. Standing, she made her way to the only empty chair in the room.

“Twenty or thirty miles outside Memphis,” he pushed the food towards her, across the tiny, worn table. “Eat. It’s good, even by your standards.”

The comment earned him one of her famous looks, which changed to pleasure at her first taste of the chicken and vegetable concoction. “Where did you find this,” Scully asked, working her way up to the important questions lingering in her eyes.

“Down the street,” Mulder answered with an easy shrug. “We’ll stay here tonight and head out early in the morning.”

“Why?” Scully’s head came up capturing his face and watching for the smallest expression.

“You need to get your emotions under control before we get to the farmhouse,” Mulder told her, keeping his voice expressionless.

“What’s changed?” interest flared in her cool blue eyes. Scully wondered if her outburst materially damaged their relationship, if Mulder intended to maintain this emotional distance.

“Nothing between you and me, Scully,” a slight smile crept into Mulder’s gaze, understanding her confusion. Moving his hand to rest lightly on her forearm, the gesture offered comfort and understanding. Once again, their silent form of communication remained intact. “You needed to vent. I’m glad you broke down before me, Scully. Without this stress you’d never reveal the depth of your feelings to me. You’d never told me how hard this time has been for you. We need to work on trusting each other.”

“You’re all I’ve got left, Mulder,” tears once again threatened until Scully realised his smile continued. “Have you checked the e-mail account again?” she asked.

Nodding, Mulder handed Scully a print out for the second time that day. “Skinner sent it from your Mom’s this morning,” he couldn’t contain the satisfaction creeping into his tone. “I called his cell from a pay phone at the internet café where I picked up dinner. He, your mom, William and a small army of ex-marines are trying to make the house liveable after years of neglect.”

“What do you mean, liveable,” Scully questioned, suddenly suspicious.

“I haven’t been near the place since I brought it,” Mulder answered, lowering his face to the bowl before him in the hope of hiding the embarrassment.

“Oh, brother,” came the sarcastic remark. Scully could only guess at the amount of effort and money they’d need to turn the building into a home.

“We’re going to take our time getting back, Scully,” Mulder told her. “We need to be in a fit state when the Social Worker interviews us for her final recommendation. Skinner says it’s a forgone conclusion but she still needs to file the report.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Scully re-read the short message. Her emotional breakdown had been cathartic, cleansing Scully of any lingering doubts. This new information, it seemed destined by God, to finally compete her. “I’m going to have both of you back and a home to raise our son.”

“You’re forgiven and the FBI is choosing to forget me, as long as we keep our heads down for a couple of months,” Mulder shrugged his shoulders. “Our lives should resemble something approaching normal. Isn’t that what you always wanted, Scully.”

She couldn’t stop the tears of joy. It would be hard. Living with Mulder, especially an unemployed Mulder, could never be considered easy under normal circumstance. To have their baby returned, to be able to show her face freely, to finally have a life, to experience hope, lightened the darkness that threatened to consume her.

“Yes, Mulder,” Scully finally answered, dropping her spoon into the cooling bowl and coming around the table to take her lover in her arms.


	9. Chapter 9

“Come on sleepy head,” Scully shook the slumbering man beside her, “it’s time to get on the road.”

“Scully,” he moaned, burying his head back into his pillow, “and you call me an insomniac,” Mulder complained.

Looking at the digital display on the bedside clock, Mulder sighed. They’d made love last night and he’d ensured he’d taken his time. He’d never treated Scully to such a slow, gentle, passionate display of his feelings toward her. After Scully fell into a comforted sleep, Mulder lay and watched her chest rise and fall. He became entranced by the relaxed expression softening her features. The worry lines around her lips had magically vanished.

“The sun isn’t even up yet,” he grumbled into the mounting silence.

“Car’s leaving in 10 minutes,” Scully announced unperturbed, “I’ll treat you to breakfast when we get the other side of Memphis.”

“Come on, Scully, I need a shower to wake me up,” Mulder protested, suddenly finding an aspect of this situation he liked, “you could always share with me. Save water.”

“As tempting as that sounds,” Scully responded with a happy grin covering her lips, “the car’s still leaving in,” glancing down at her watch, Mulder realised she’d dressed and packed, “eight minutes.”

“Impatient, Scully,” wiping the sleep from his eyes, Mulder gave up on the thought of a shower and grabbed the nearest items of clothing Scully had laid out for him.

“I’m going to bed with both my boys tonight,” she humoured him, a teasing eyebrow promising they’d make it to Virginia before the day ended.

“Oh, Scully, you know just what I like,” placing a hand in the middle of her back, he ushered her from the room into the cool predawn air.

“I cleaned out all those videos and magazines that weren’t yours after you ‘died’ Mulder,” she returned. “I should know exactly what you like, being exposed to it and you for ten years.”

“Touché, Scully,” the return of her humour didn’t surprise him. Last night, she’d wrestled with her demons, and won a hard-fought battle. This new day bringing her closer to her dream, to her son and partner in a house Scully could call her home.

No longer needing to stay under the radar, Scully dove at least ten to fifteen miles above the speed limit, demonstrating her need to be in Virginia sooner rather than later. Noon saw them another six hundred miles closer to their destination. Mulder insisted, actually demanded Scully stop for lunch near Knoxville, much to her dismay. They ate quickly and in virtual silence before he took the key from her trembling hand.

“I’m driving the rest of the way, Scully,” he told her, giving the small but determined woman at his side no choice in the matter.

“I need to keep busy,” she whined, unable to stop the insecurities plaguing her mind. They had at least four hours by her estimate before reaching their destination. Four hours for her to worry and analyse and think.

“You need to sleep if you want to be of any use to our son tonight,” Mulder retorted, “we’ll arrive about five pm.”

“Just in time for William’s dinner, bath and bed,” the thought of the regular routine thrilled Scully. It also brought tears to her eyes. “Mulder, you never got to do any of that with me, with us.”

“Plenty of time, Scully,” he soothed, taking his eyes from the road for an instant to belay her rising fears. An entire conversation passed in that moment before he continued with, “we have the rest of our lives to catch up on all the family moments I’ve missed,” Mulder promised, taking a seed from the bag and splitting it between his teeth. He would not allow his doubts and insecurities to be on display to Scully. Mulder knew she held enough for the both of them. “Besides, what am I going to do all day while you’re at work? I won’t be able to have the very public profile you can.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to be locked away indoors,” Scully retaliated, wondering how his enforced isolation had already affected his mind. The Mulder sitting beside her demonstrated much more self constraint and imperviousness than the man who investigated the X files at her side a decade before. He’d lost much of his all-consuming devotion and passion to the truth. His self-imposed seclusion hadn’t changed the essence of the man, but decreased his intensity. He’d become harder.

“No, I won’t have to stay locked up in the basement,” his attempt to tease failed, “but Skinner definitely said to be circumspect. That decreases my personal and employment opportunities considerably.”

“We’ll work it out, Mulder,” Scully sighed, placing a hand on his forearm.

“Scully,” his voice almost pleaded, “I think I’d like to have a few weeks of family time before we make any future plans. I want to reconnect with you and our son.”

“I’d like that too, Mulder,” the tears she kept at bay cascaded down her cheeks. “You and William need time together to bond. I just hope he remembers me. Three weeks to an eight-month-old is like an eternity. God, I’ve missed him so much.” With that Scully fell into wracking sobs., expunging the last of her tears and grief, she slept fitfully as they transversed the Appellation Mountains.

When they finally manoeuvred the car up the gravel drive, the sun hung low in the western sky. The sight of their home caused equal amounts of trepidation and glee within Scully. _I am so close to holding my baby again, and I’m never going to let him go_ , she promised.

As the car tires ate up the road, Scully’s heart rate increased. _What if he doesn’t remember me or rejects my touch_ , the thought brought tears to her eyes. As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, Scully’s breathing became more rapid and shallower. _How much damage have I done, physically, emotionally and mentally by forcing so many changes on this child_ , she wondered, _this child I wanted so badly then gave up_. As Mulder pulled on the hand break, Scully’s mind shut down completely. Unable to move at the enormity of this moment, Mulder guided her out of the seat and towards the farmhouse.

Maggie’s gold Ford held pride of place beside the front porch. A cherry red Taurus sat beside it. Each step past the vehicles became murderous for Scully. Her steps slowed as her mind attempted to integrate the maelstrom of thoughts creating the destructive force of a tornado in her mind.

“Mulder,” she pleaded, “are we doing this for ourselves, or for William.”

“You’re having doubts now, Scully,” he asked stunned by her sudden turn around.

“What if he’s still in danger,” placing a hand on his, Scully forced Mulder to face her, look her in the eye. She needed to be heard, obliterate her fears and have Mulder refute them utterly. “What if they’re still after him, can we really protect him, can we give him the life he deserves?” shattered, Scully looked into the face of the man she loved beyond reason or rationality. “If I go in there and hold him in my arms, I’ll never be able to let go again. I have to be sure, Mulder, that we’re doing the right thing for our son.”

“I’d die before giving either of you up again, Scully,” Mulder groaned, pulling his petite partner into his arms. “We are going to walk into our home, we are going to greet our son, and we are going to be a family. We are never going to be separated, ever again.” Shaking at the emotional effort the words cost him, Mulder pulled slightly away. “Do you understand, Scully, no one, no one in this world or any other can protect our son like we can. NO ONE.”

Nodding, she turned, griping his hand so tightly Mulder’s finger tips turned mottled purple-blue. Together they walked towards their house, their home, their future and their destiny. They walked up the stairs, opened the door and into the waiting arms of their son.


	10. Chapter 10

Soft, warm light tumbled from the crack in the door. A child’s happy babbling came from the new mat in the middle of the lounge room. Mulder’s black leather sofa against the wall and his dinning table off to one side provided the only furniture in the room. Maggie sat on the couch watching her grandson happily playing. The anxiety displayed openly in her body language, glancing towards the door every few minutes. At the table, a stranger sat with her back to the door, a sheath of papers before her.

“Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma,” the childish scream rent the air as the front door opened wider to reveal a petite red-haired woman. The infant took off across the floor at a breakneck crawl. Upon reaching his object, he attempted to pull himself up using handfuls of material.

Hands that last held him three weeks ago, scooped the bundle up, holding him tight against her chest. “Oh, William, Mommy’s home. Mommy’s home and I promise I’ll never leave you again,” she cried in broken sobs.

Picking the pair of them up and into his arms, Mulder rescued Scully before her trembling legs had the chance to falter, sending William and her sprawling to the ground. In two strides he reached the sofa and fell onto it. William’s chubby little fingers had found Scully hair and tangled themselves in it.The fierce grip looked painful to Mulder, but she didn’t seem to notice.

Scully’s right hand covered his back, fingers circling in a comforting gesture, the other hand wrapped protectively around him, forcing his little body closer, attempting to make them one. Scully’s expression, of pure, unadulterated contentment covered her features, while her tears streamed down her face. Just looking at her, Mulder knew his partner had been undone by this contact. Scully finally had everything she’d ever wanted.

The happy gurgling stopped as suddenly as it had been generated. Hazel eye’s widened in surprise at the realisation that a stranger held his mother as tightly as he did. Screwing up his face, William began to howl.

“Shhh, Shhh William, this is your daddy,” Scully soothed, attempting to remove the limpet like child from her chest to look him in the eye. He simply refused, holding tighter to her hair and clamping his legs around her middle. Scully winced as her scalp began to throb.

“Not quite the reception I hoped for,” Mulder attempted teasing but his voice reverberated with apprehension. The child stopped his wails, cocking his head to one side and listening intently, appearing to remember this sound. Encouraged, Mulder continued to speak, softly and slowly as he had in the days after his son’s birth.

“Hey, little man, I’m your Daddy,” he whispered. Reaching out a finger, he touched the child’s silky down on his head. “Your hair feels just like your moms, do you know that.’”

As Mulder continued to coo to the transfixed child, Scully felt all the love and adoration within her pour out. Father and son, separated for the almost the entirely of William’s existence bonded instantly. Scully couldn’t ask for more. Her sobs changed in timber, becoming joyful. Still, so much passed through her mind in such rapid succession, Scully felt unable to utter a word.

Both Maggie and Jana became transfixed by the scene playing out before them. Finally, William released a lock of his mothers’ hair and curiously reached a chubby hand towards his father. The adults confirmed this as a sign of acceptance. Jana sighed in relief.

“Dana,” Maggie offered cautiously in greeting, “Fox, I’m glad to see you made it.”

“Me too, Mom,” Scully reached out a hand to hold her mothers, unwilling to let the men in her life out of her sight or beyond her grasp.

As Scully had predicted, the next hour and a half consisted of William’s bedtime routine. Mulder stayed within arms reach, constantly touching his partner and son. He seemed reluctant to leave them for a moment.

“Can I ask you a question?” Jana sounded nervous. Finally, they’d settled in the living room. The expression passing between William’s parents spoke volumes. They knew what she wanted to ask now. “Why didn’t you name William’s father on his birth certificate?”

Even at nine months of age, the little boy resembled his father (taken from the boy on the beach with Mulder in 6th Extinction: Amor Fati). While the child might have been born with blue eyes, they’d changed to hazel in the last weeks. The wisps of hair matched those of Fox Mulder, with just a hint of red when exposed to the sunlight.

“At the time,” Scully answered slowly, her gaze never leaving that of her partner, “our positions made a public declaration impossible.”

“Is that the reason you never married?” Jana continued, fascinated by this pair before her.

What ever she’d envisage, these two were about a far from her impression as she could ever have imagined. The case had felt off from the first moment it crossed her desk. She had trouble understanding why Dana Scully gave her child up. After battling a life threatening disease, finding out she conceived a miracle child and the death of her partner, she cited lifestyle as the reason for adopting William.

Maggie Scully had told Jana, Dana had been threatened and her partner on the run because of it. Seeing the child asleep in his mother’s arms, surrounded by his father, she had no hesitation in returning William. Truth be told, Jana wanted an explanation. She sought what had changed to bring these to out of hiding and take their child back. Yet, she knew that truth would never be forthcoming.

“We have never felt the need,” Scully rationalised. Deep in her heart, she’d known her life would never resemble normal. Meeting Mulder only confirmed that belief. Yet, the girlish yeaning for a husband, a home and children still remained. Recalling the words of Meatloaf, Scully realised two out of three ain’t bad. 

“I don’t need an official decree to be committed,” Mulder grinned down at his life partner, a finger finding William’s cheek and stroking it ever so gently. The love in that gesture could break a heart.

“No, you need two psychiatrists for that,” Scully returned, quirking that eyebrow at him.

“Thank you,” he murmured in return, a teasing smile covering his lips as he continued to touch both the woman in his arms and his son.

“Your welcome, Mulder,” Scully shrugged a shoulder, “any time. I still know a few colleagues who would certify you anytime.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he responded sarcastically, “the next time I piss you off.”

“You certainly act like a married, but I have to warn you,” once again that look passed between them, as though they knew argument Jana would present. “A legal relationship, even if you don’t want to advertise the marriage, would go along way in finalising my report and ensuring further interference is minimised.”

“What do you mean?” Scully asked,

“I need to establish William is returning to an appropriate home. Just as his adoptive family had services in place for the twenty-eight days, you will be required to submit to weekly visits,” Jana informed them.

“You’re telling me, we are effectively adopting our son?” Mulder’s astonishment broke thought his contentment.

“Yes,” Jana sighed, “officially it’s called dissolution of adoption. Although, Mr Mulder, at this point in time you have no legal right to the child you claim to be your son.”

“How would marriage and naming Mulder on William’s birth certificate change that,” ever rational Scully enquired.

“I’m aware of your remission for naso-phalangeal cancer, Dana,” Jana explained slowly. “I have to ensure William will be accommodated should that change, should your cancer return. You almost died once, and without a legal male parent or spouse, Williams’s future could be considered precious. Marriage not only gives you legal responsibility for you son, Mr Mulder, but rights in this state should anything happen to your partner.”

“And it makes you paperwork easer,” he quipped sarcastically.

“No, it makes the case for returning your son rock solid,” she stated, staring the man down. “Dana sited her single status as one of the major reasons for giving up her son. Declaring who is and marriage to William’s father goes a long way to negating that motive. Life style choice will no longer be an issue; given you have a home together and resources to rase a child. Statically, husbands are less likely to abandon their family than those co-habiting without commitment. You left your partner and son once, Mr Mulder, this would assuage any fears of a similar event in the future.”

“Mulder?” Scully made a question from two syllables.

“I’m still going to call you Scully,” Mulder stated.

“When you’ve made the arrangements, send me a copy of the documents, and I’ll file the appropriate reports. I believe we are done here. Congratulation, Dana, Mr Mulder. I’ll be in contact when this is finalised,” Jana rose, shook both hands and left the family to start their life together.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In setting up for IWTB, there are three scenes which need to be slightly changed, thus the epilogue. I have left the confrontation with Christians parents alone, as keeping Mulder’s and William’s existence from her co-workers/patients/relatives for their safety would lead to this scene and Scully unable or unwilling to correct them.

**Part One**

“Mulder,” Scully called, listening for the sounds of childish laughter. The house remained quiet. Sighing, she walked into the kitchen, only to be assaulted by the smell of dinner baking in the oven.

Giving the vegetable lasagne a look over, Scully immediately checked Mulder’s office. Empty, just as she’d expected. He’d taken to cooking lately, thus the reason for the dinner greeting her. Dropping her briefcase on the dinning room table, she removed her gloves. Winter still in full force, her boys could only be out on the small hill behind the house playing toboggan. They’d had inches of powdery snow last night.

“Mom’s home,” William cried at the sight of his mother exiting the back door. Ignoring his father’s protests to slow down, he rushed to her and wrapped his childish arms around Scully.

Sighing in frustration at his son’s antics, Mulder pulled the sled to the back porch and put it away, neatly. “I see I’ve finally managed to rub off on you, Mulder,” Scully teased, indicating the sled.

“Never say never, Scully,” he returned, ushering his family into the warmth of the house.

“Mulder,” just the way she spoke his name, sent a shiver down his spine. Somehow, with these words, he’d given his partner the opening she needed.

“Will, why don’t you go and get cleaned up while your mom and I get dinner on the table,” Mulder requested gently.

“Okay,” William removed himself from his mother arms and raced up the steps.

“Out with it, Scully,” Mulder didn’t waist a single second of the two or three minutes they’d have alone.

“I had a visitor today, Mulder. The FBI wants your help finding a missing agent,” she told him. It didn’t take long for Scully to repeat the conversation or hear Mulder’s expected answer.

“And,” Mulder asked, “after years together, I can tell when there’s something else.”

“I’m pregnant,” she stated (as was GA while filming IWTB) before adding, “I’ll tell then your answer.”

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. “Okay, I’ll go. Under two conditions, you come with me, and William has a nice safe holiday with your Mother while we work on this case.”

**Part Two**

Scully: Why bring a kid into the world just to make him suffer? I don't know, Mulder, I've got such a connection to this boy.

Mulder: How old is he?

Scully: you think it because of William?

Mulder: I think, even the loss of our son for a short time has left a gaping hole in both of us and a better understanding of how your patients’ parents must feel. Now with your pregnancy, you’re bound to feel the loss of a young patient more acutely. Just go to sleep. Let me curse God for a while

**Part Three**

“People say I went underground,” Mulder shot at Scully.

“I'm sorry, Mulder,” Scully apologized, “I had to keep my focus here. It’s just as well William is safe with Mom.” They speak about Christian and his treatment for a few minutes, before Scully realizes, “but that's not what you came to talk about.”

“There's another woman missing,” Mulder starts, telling Scully about the case. “I need you on this with me.”

“No,” Scully states emphatically, “no, Mulder.”

“You asked me to get involved, Scully,” he pleads, “now I'm asking for you stay involved.”

“I'm asking you let it go,” she returns with determination.

“It's not that simple,” he states.

“No,” Scully sighs, “it's complicated.”

“What's that's supposed to mean?” Mulder demands.

Rolling her eye’s as if he doesn’t know, Scully turns to face Mulder, before saying, “something that I knew would happen, that I've been afraid of, that I haven't had to face until now. I can't look into the darkness with you any more, Mulder. I cannot stand what it does to you or to me.”

A slight smile appears, “I'm fine with it, Scully. I'm actually okay. I'm good.”

“Yeah,” she states, inwardly despairing of their situation, “that's what scares me. We're not FBI any more, Mulder. We are two people who come home at night, to a family. I don't want that darkness in my life, in the life of my children.”

“Scully,” Mulder pleads, “this is who I am. It's who I've always been. This is who I was before I met you and we started a family. It's what I do, it's everything I know.”

“I’m asking you to place your family before this,” she pleaded. “If you feel the need, write it down. Put it in a book. I can’t ask you to give up, but I can tell you we won't be coming home. I can’t live that again. I can’t involve William. I almost gave him up once for the truth.”

“Scully,’ he pleads.

“Mulder, I've got my own battles to fight,” she continues, “and I want a normal life for my children.”

“Don't do this to us,” Mulder looks at her, pleading not to take away all his hard-won happiness.

“Then please don't argue with me, not about this. I didn’t have to choose between my child and you last time,” she reminds him, but turns it into a warning with, “but I will if you force me.”

“Don't do this now,” Mulder asks, resigned to the fact he knows Scully will.

“I don't know what else to do,” Scully sighs, “I’m not going to put this child in danger, Mulder. I refuse to let the darkness that influenced William’s early years near my daughter.”

“Good luck, then,” Mulder states, hardening his heart he turns and leaves. Stopping by the door, he turns to tell her, “and it’s our daughter, Scully. Nothing can change that.”

Exhausted by the situation, Scully sits and sobs at her sudden losses. She finds this situation as hard as the days spent traveling to gain back their son. Scully never thought Mulder would leave her, not like this and not with their second miracle. The only way she can resolve this situation with Mulder is to prove Father Joe a fraud and try to regain some semblance of normalcy. Her determination becomes paramount when Mrs. Fearon pronounces, “if you were a mother you'd understand.”

Scully knows it is time to stop hiding. She and Mulder need to come out into the light. They need to do normal. The lives of their children depend on it.


End file.
